The fates seemed destined to make my first experience at a Radiohead concert a terrible one. Between the torrential downpour, getting stuck in the muddy lawn of the Molson Amphitheatre, and being surrounded by a group of drunken assholes, I was finding it a little hard to get into the show. Luckily, the rain stopped the minute the band walked on stage, and I managed to ignore the jerks for most of the show. Walking through the Exhibition, there were two rainbows ending directly at the amphitheatre, which I now know was a good omen.

The opener was 15 Step, going in line with the new album. The light show kicked in after the second verse, and it was pretty impressive. I knew beforehand that In Rainbows would be played in its entirety, so the rest of the set would have to be made up of older material. While all the albums (minus Pablo Honey) got some representation, they surprisingly skipped out on their mainstream hits (by which I refer to stuff like Karma Police, Just, and the like.) That’s not a complaint, as you can see below it was a pretty diverse set. Notable surprises were Talk Show Host and Climbing up the Walls. The atmosphere was just haunting. Other highlights for me were All I Need, Wolf at the Door, Planet Telex, and Street Spirit. Planet Telex in particular had the best moments of the light show, with a psychedelic rainbow backdrop on the stage. Thom Yorke’s thanks for braving the elements was followed by advice to find someone to take home and get warm. While the stage banter was light, what was given was enjoyable.

I could’ve used Fake Plastic Trees or Let Down, but I was pleased with what I got. The only song I would’ve booted off the setlist was Pyramid Song. Not my cup of tea. Hopefully my next Radiohead experience will be drier and closer to the stage, but it was definitely an awesome show.

Setlist
15 Step
Reckoner
Optimistic
There There
Morning Bell
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Weird Fishes/Arpeggi
The Gloaming
Wolf at the Door
Faust Arp
No Surprises
Jigsaw Falling Into Place
Idioteque
Climbing Up the Walls
Nude
Bodysnatchers